Varsities’ workers kick over non-payment of salary increment arrears

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has raised concerns over salary discrepancies and delayed third-party deductions affecting staff across various universities and inter-university centres nationwide.

SSANU President, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, addressed the issue in a communiqué following the union’s 50th Regular National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja. He highlighted the distress caused by inconsistent payments.

According to Ibrahim, “The union recorded cases of salary shortfalls and inconsistencies in the payment of third-party deductions of various universities and inter-university centres.”

He revealed that the situation worsened after some universities migrated to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) platform. “Further inquiries unearth that, on migration to the GIFMIS platform, some universities have started shortchanging their staff by paying incomplete salaries,” he stated.

Ibrahim also criticized the withholding of third-party deductions, describing it as a “flagrant disobedience of financial regulation.”

The NEC called on the government to reintroduce the N50 billion previously allocated for Earned Allowance in the 2025 budget and to settle all outstanding allowances.

“NEC further frowns at the non-payment of the arrears of our 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increment for federal universities, inter-universities centres and some state universities,” Ibrahim said. He urged the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, to expedite the payment of the outstanding two months’ salaries and withheld third-party deductions.

Ibrahim also condemned ongoing reports of sexual harassment within universities, pledging that SSANU would closely monitor such cases. “Anything short of justice for the sexually harassed members of the union would be unacceptable,” he emphasized.

The NEC further urged state governments to clear arrears from the last minimum wage review and align state university salaries with those of federal institutions to ensure wage parity.